Two Men To Be Arraigned In Arson At Home Of ‘Mary’ From ‘Little Lamb’ Poem
WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — Mary had a little lamb, but there was also a house. Now that house has been burned to the ground and two men are accused of arson.
They’re scheduled to be arraigned in Massachusetts Tuesday for the August fire that destroyed a vacant house in the town of Sterling where officials say Mary Elizabeth Sawyer was born in 1806. Sawyer is the woman made famous by the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
Sarah Josepha Hale reportedly published a poem in 1830 about a young Sawyer bringing her lamb to school with her. Other accounts say the original writer was a young man who was inspired by the same incident.
The suspects are also charged with setting a series of fires in central and western Massachusetts. They’ve been held without bail since August.
